Simple Flower Arrangement

I live, breathe, eat and sleep art and design.  Yes, it's an obsession, but you already know that.  You have to be a little obsessed to be a blogger.  But it's way more than obsession.  Art is life.  Art is necessity, not luxury.  Art makes me happy.  Without art I don't feel alive.  Indeed, throughout my strange illness, it is art that has saved me.  That's not hyperbole.  I love language and words, but they are often inadequate to describe the experience of living as an artist.  Throughout my tenure in corporate America, people always thought I was odd and I learned to conceal my personality (try doing this for 8-12 hours a day - it's exhausting).  I've been blessed, through blogging and in real life, to meet a lot of artists lately.  My peeps.  It's so great to be understood and to be able to express myself.  I believe artists yearn for this.  What does this have to do with flower arranging?  Nothing.  Except that I thought I'd show you the awesome book that is currently on my night stand.

Before I sleep at night, my last thoughts are of art.  When I awaken, my first thoughts are of art.  I recently went to used book sale at a local university and bought this marvelous old book on Japanese flower arrangement.

As a reader of my blog, you are already familiar with my love of minimalism and simplicity.  So it is not a surprise that I am extremely interested in Ikebana.  When it comes to arranging flowers, I don't like to see them crowded in the vase.  They need room to breathe and to be free without the competition that comes from too much stimuli.  To me, all parts of the flower are beautiful.  I particularly like, long, spindly, leggy, rebellious looking branches.  No bonsai for me.  Bonsai is a crime.  It's like foot binding.  Here's a couple of pictures from this marvelous book.  I'll share more as I learn more.

Japanese Flower Arrangement for American Homes, by Mary Bedham Kittel.  (Bonanza 1962).

Here are a couple of beautiful arrangements inspired by Ikebana.

This is a stunningly beautiful arrangement.  Love the one, long stem in the bowl.  This image itself is so beautiful, I could see it blown up and framed as art.   Vessel available at LeiliDesign.

Vintage Ikebana vase available at DemARTinDesign.

Love the organic shape of this vintage Stanford Sebring vase.  I wish there were only one or two long stems in the image.  But that's merely my preference.  Formerly available at allthingswhite.

Love this vase made of rocks!  I'd love to make an Ikebana vase out of a slick Lake Erie Rock.  However, that's beyond my skill level.  I imagine the drilling process is not easy and requires a skilled artisan.  Again, I wish the vase in the image held a long branch.  Formerly available at SteppingStones.

These beautiful sea glass vases are from CB2.  They would make great Ikebana vases.  Want more?  See more beautiful Ikebana vases in my previous post, here.